The Vintage Electric Pianos ROM option adds the classic electric piano sounds that are vital to any modern keyboard player. While some electric piano sounds have remained obscure vintage gems, others have attained a level of importance to the keyboardist comparable to that which the Fender® Stratocaster® or Gibson Les Paul has for the modern guitarist.

Each program was created using high-quality audio samples of electric pianos as a starting point. The sounds were then processed using Kurzweil’s V.A.S.T. synthesis engine. This allowed us to apply powerful filters, velocity layers and cross-fades, envelopes and a host of other sound-sculpting tools. In some cases, samples from the K2600’s base-ROM were also used in combination with the Vintage EP’s samples in order to add a certain flavor or to enhance the harmonic content of the sound.

The final stage of sound-shaping was done in KDFX, our massive effects processing engine. KDFX played a crucial role in making this a truly ground-breaking project, providing on-board effects unprecedented in both quantity and quality. Effects pedals, speaker cabinets, and recording techniques have all been faithfully replicated, giving the Vintage EP’s programs a level of detail and realism never before achieved in any electric piano emulation.

Using V.A.S.T. and KDFX we were able to replicate the exact sounds from dozens of different live and studio recordings of electric pianos. For this reason, many of the program names in Vintage EPs are derived from song titles and not electric piano model numbers. Also, we have included a section devoted entirely to non-realistic sounds, "hybrids and synths," where we transformed the Vintage EPs sound sources into a wide variety of sonic textures, ranging from slight mutations to completely unrecognizable new sounds.

We have included detailed charts that list the controller assignments for each program and setup. If a program has been taken from a specific recording, the artist’s name and song title have been provided as well.

Fender® Rhodes

Produced from 1965-1986 in a number of variations of the original model, the Fender® Rhodes is the most widely recognized and easily identified electric piano sound in popular music. The Rhodes played an important role in defining some of the new styles of music that began to emerge in the mid-sixties and early seventies, mainly jazz-fusion, disco and funk, and was adopted quickly by other already established styles such as R&B, rock, pop, blues, and jazz. The Rhodes sound remains popular today and it can be found in a variety of settings: played live by blues, funk and jam bands among others, and on recordings of hip-hop, pop, acid-jazz, and electronica.

Wurlitzer

Similar in both its design and sound to the Rhodes, the Wurlitzer electric piano was nearly as popular, and actually pre-dated the first Rhodes suitcase model. The Wurlitzer produced a sound which had a slightly more narrow frequency range than the Rhodes; it was "thinner" sounding, blending more easily with other instruments in a mix.

Hohner Pianet

Although featured prominently in a number of classic rock songs by The Beatles, The Zombies and others, the Hohner Pianet remains a lesser-known instrument, its sound having often been mistakenly attributed to the Wurlitzer.

Produced from c.1962-1980 in various console models, the Pianet series differed from the Rhodes and Wurlitzer in a few important areas. Sound was produced by metal reeds, which were plucked by a set of adhesive pads. Also distinguishing the Pianet was the absence of a sustain pedal.

Yamaha CP-80

Known commonly as the "electric grand", the CP-80 (88 notes), along with its smaller counterpart, the CP-70 (76 notes), was the product of clever engineering combined with traditional piano-making craftsmanship. Inside the CP-80 are the basic workings of a real acoustic piano, which have been altered to fit into a smaller enclosure. On the outside, the CP-80 looks like a "grand" version of the Rhodes, covered in tolex, with the top portion extending in the rear to accommodate the piano harp inside. Up until the mid-1980s, when sampled pianos became available, the CP-70/80 was the only instrument capable of providing a decent substitute for a real piano. While it served this purpose well, the CP-70/80 had some unique features, which allowed it to have its own very distinct sound when desired.

RMI Electra-Piano

Built by Rocky Mount Instruments, a division of the Allen Organ Company, from 1967-1980, the RMI Electra-Piano is the one instrument represented in Vintage EPs which did not produce sound by electromechanical means. With an electronic tone-generator for each note, un-weighted plastic keys, which were not touch-sensitive, and a set of "stops" for sound selection, the RMI more closely resembled an organ than anything else.

There were five stops on the RMI for tone: Piano, Piano PP, Harpsi, Harpsi PP, and Lute. There were two additional stops; Accenter, which added in an attack "thump" as well as Organ Mode, which extended the decay of held notes.

The RMI was most widely used by progressive-rock bands like Genesis and Yes in the early to mid-1970s, although it has also appeared in a broad variety of other settings.